Sendhil Mullainathan, the 'most interesting new economist in the world', and Eldar Shafir, the 'most brilliant psychologist' of his generation, explain the hidden problem behind everything with the book Scarcity. Why does it always seem like we can’t keep our workload, social calendar, or obligations in order? Why does poverty persist around the world? Why do successful people do things at the last minute, in a sudden burst of energy? Here, economist Sendhil Mullainathan and psychologist Eldar Shafir reveal that the hidden side behind all these problems relates to a lack of resources. Using the new science of scarcity, they explain why obesity is rampant, why people struggle to sleep when they are most tired, and why lonely people struggle to make friends. Scarcity will change your thinking regarding small daily tasks and big issues of global significance.

According to Daniel Kahneman, author of Thinking, Fast and Slow, “Their collaboration has a unique character: it is the best combination of soul and reason I have seen in our field.” Steven D. Levitt, co-author of Freakonomics, states that “Scarcity is a fascinating book, full of new ideas, fabulous stories, and simple suggestions that may change the way you live.” Oliver Burkeman of the Guardian describes it as “a ultimately humane and very welcome book.”

Sendhil Mullainathan is a Professor of Economics at Harvard and has been awarded a MacArthur Fellowship. He conducts research in the field of developmental and behavioral economics, as well as corporate finance. He is Executive Director of Ideas 42, Harvard University’s Institute for Quantitative Social Sciences. Eldar Shafir is the William Stewart Tod Professor of Psychology and Public Affairs at Princeton University, studying the descriptive analysis of thinking, judgment, and decision-making, as well as issues related to behavioral economics.

Pages: 304, Dimensions: 13x13cm